Seoul shares down 0.67 pct in late-morning trade

South Korean stocks traded 0.67 percent lower late Friday morning due to losses in techs and mobile carriers, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dropped

13.48 points to 1,988.65 as of 11:20 a.m.

Tech blue chips led the decline, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics falling 2.3 percent and top flat panel manufacturer LG Display losing 1.97 percent. Leading chipmaker SK hynix lost 0.87 percent.

Mobile carriers also lost ground, with leading player SK Telecom falling 1.08 percent and No. 2 player KT moving down 0.94 percent. In contrast, No. 3 player LG Uplus climbed 0.34 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,112.25 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 3.25 won from Thursday's close. (Yonhap News)